Does the Monaco GP still deserve its place on the F1 calendar? A case for and against
Our writers give their input on whether the Monaco Grand Prix still deserves its place on the Formula 1 calendar.
Love it or loathe it, the Monaco Grand Prix appears set to be part of the Formula 1 calendar for a long time to come.
Last September, F1 announced Monaco had extended its contract until at least 2035.
The Monaco Grand Prix has been F1’s glamorous poster race since it was first held in 1929, though it has regularly faced criticism for its lack of action and excitement, particularly on Sunday. This has seen failed attempts to improve the show, such as last year’s mandatory two-stop rule.
So, does Monaco now seem out of place in a very different F1 landscape? Our writers have their say.
Monaco remains F1's Jewel in the Crown - Lewis Larkam
My stance on this has remained unchanged for several years, despite watching some incredibly dull and processional Monaco Grands Prix; F1 needs Monaco.
As a race track, of course it is the worst on the calendar in terms of overtaking opportunities. I am not going to try and defend that. It is a fact I accept.
But there is something special, even out of this world, about the Monte Carlo paddock and F1. It is a throwback weekend that screams glitz and glamour. Yes it’s pompous, yes it is a magnet for the rich and famous, and yes it’s over the top. But it is also brilliant and unique.
As a one-off race out of 24, I am absolutely in favour of the Monaco Grand Prix. In fact, it is one of the few street circuits I am happy to see on the F1 calendar, along with Singapore.
Qualifying is like no other challenge in F1. This is where F1 drivers really earn their money. It is the ultimate test of skill, courage and concentration. As someone who has had the privilege of watching F1 cars trackside in Monaco, the TV coverage really does not do this justice. There is nothing else quite like it in F1.
And while I admit races are often dull affairs, it is the element of jeopardy - knowing something could go wrong at any moment with drivers skimming the barriers and dancing with danger repeatedly for 78 laps - that keeps me tuned in.
Monaco has provided some brilliant F1 moments over the years, including stories of triumph, heartbreak and controversy. That qualifying lap from Ayrton Senna, Olivier Panis’s miracle win in 1996, Michael Schumacher parking at Rascasse, Daniel Ricciardo’s redemption in 2018, Charles Leclerc’s first home win in 2024. The list goes on.
As much as F1 moves forward and grows with the time, as it should, I am a believer that retaining an element of history with certain key venues is important. Along with Silverstone and Monza, Monaco for me is one of a handful of tracks that must be kept at all costs.
F1 has long outgrown Monaco - Sam Hall
The Monaco Grand Prix should really be renamed, the Monaco qualifying session. Saturday offers up a gloriously chaotic session, where a drinking game involving a shot being taken at every mention of the word 'traffic', would be a potentially lethal way of passing the time.
While the race is special for those lucky enough to be on site, either in the media suite or the grandstands lining the hallowed streets, for those watching on television screens around the world, it is more often than not a good way to ensure a Sunday afternoon snooze following a roast dinner.
F1 has long outgrown Monaco, and to anyone suggesting that smaller cars will improve the show and allow for overtaking, I point you to the early 2000s, where smaller cars did nothing of the sort, and there were already hushed calls for Monaco to be dropped from the schedule.
Yes, I get the argument that in a 24-race calendar, there is space for one race like Monaco. But that seems akin to the Premier League saying, 'Yes, we'll play one game at a neutral venue in a different country,' something that fundamentally changes the nature of the game.
Is Monaco the only track where overtaking is difficult? No, but it is by far the most extreme example.
If it were up to me, and I'm prepared to take the heat on this one, the Monaco Grand Prix would become a Formula 3 race. Those cars are still difficult to overtake in, but slower speeds, increased braking distances, and smaller cars would combine to make a race worth watching.
Sadly, and this is only my opinion, unless there is rain on the horizon, the Monaco Grand Prix has long since lost the title of 'must-see viewing'.
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Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
